I've mentioned Two Minute Papers before as a really good source for up to date computer science research, and particularly the kind of ML work that gets swept in under the "AI" banner but often...
I've mentioned Two Minute Papers before as a really good source for up to date computer science research, and particularly the kind of ML work that gets swept in under the "AI" banner but often exists far outside the realm of LLMs.
YouTube creator buyouts are a topic that's come up here on Tildes before (and I seem to remember people talking about it in other discussions as well, maybe to do with Veritasium?), but this wasn't the channel I'd expect to see giving a statement about the YouTube economic landscape: it's well outside his usual wheelhouse, and I think that makes it all the more interesting. Doubly so because if I could level one small criticism at him in the past, it's that his coverage can sometimes read as a little overly positive and overly enthusiastic, even when there may be legitimate concerns about the organisation behind a piece of research. Seeing such a sharp reaction from him speaks all the louder because of that.
Excerpts below, but I'd really recommend giving it a watch (or listen, really? The video snippets are just filler on this one), because it's a passionate take on what's happening to this corner of the media landscape:
Many people say are surprised. They are surprised because they suddenly see their favourite channels dipping more into lower quality, higher click volume content. Virality over depth. Then, sell them to the highest bidder sponsors, and trust me, that’s not going to be the best product for you, the viewers.
Yup, many channels are being sold and are now being run by private equity firms. They approached us too and let’s be honest, many of these deals come with millions and millions of dollars. So, what did I do? Well, hold on to your papers Fellow Scholars, because I have a big announcement to make today. And the big announcement is that from now on, the content here on this channel is going to be elevated because… because we don’t take any money from these people. Never! I declined every offer. I kept the ownership of the channel so I can keep talking about brilliant research works, ones that often nobody else is talking about. Like the one you see here. Very few people know about these works. It’s a bit like saving endangered species. Like Indiana Jones, for research papers! And this is why. This is why no one is talking about amazing works like this. Who’s going to stand up for that broke PhD student who invented something amazing? Who is going to stand up for works that no one else is talking about? This is what is valuable in the world. This is what pushes humanity forward. This is what makes the world better for us. But there is a problem. It doesn’t make crazy money. So, I do the Papers thing, because no one else is going to do it. Just think about it: from a business point of view, taking a bit longer to give you a better, more detailed video about a paper is not a virtue. It is an operational defect that needs to be solved immediately. But not around here it isn’t.
Many other channels are in a race to put out a video on the new ChatGPT, the hot new thing, any video whatsoever, doesn’t matter, just be first and get the views. These days, I am often last. Because this is what it takes to get you quality content. Imagine being one of the first in the world to hear about a new Nobel-prize winning research, and ending up last to report on it. Fewer views, harder to make a living. But that’s what I do here.
I've mentioned Two Minute Papers before as a really good source for up to date computer science research, and particularly the kind of ML work that gets swept in under the "AI" banner but often exists far outside the realm of LLMs.
YouTube creator buyouts are a topic that's come up here on Tildes before (and I seem to remember people talking about it in other discussions as well, maybe to do with Veritasium?), but this wasn't the channel I'd expect to see giving a statement about the YouTube economic landscape: it's well outside his usual wheelhouse, and I think that makes it all the more interesting. Doubly so because if I could level one small criticism at him in the past, it's that his coverage can sometimes read as a little overly positive and overly enthusiastic, even when there may be legitimate concerns about the organisation behind a piece of research. Seeing such a sharp reaction from him speaks all the louder because of that.
Excerpts below, but I'd really recommend giving it a watch (or listen, really? The video snippets are just filler on this one), because it's a passionate take on what's happening to this corner of the media landscape: